Xander cracks a smile, then claps a hand on my shoulder. “It’s all good, man. I don’t care that you and Ellie started things off the way you did.”
“I don’t either,” Del says. “It’s fucked up that way some health insurance companies screw people over. I’m sorry Ellie went through that.”
“You guys didn’t do anything wrong,” Sam says. “I would have done the same for Dakota if she were in that position.”
“Me too,” Theo says.
“Same. No question,” Ryker says.
I stand there, blown away by the support of my teammates.
“Thanks, guys.” I huff out a breath. “I really needed to hear that. Especially given what a mess this is probably going to be for me. And the team.”
I’m still stressed as fuck thinking about this. That article is probably making the rounds on social media and will go viralsoon. Team leadership will see it. Coach Porter is probably going to want to talk to me.
He might even want to take away alternate captain from me because of this mess.
Disappointment flashes through me. That’s it’s though. I don’t feel sick or heartbroken. If I lose alternate captain because the Bashers’ team leadership is pissed at me for marrying my best friend so she could get health insurance, that would suck. But honestly? It would be worth it. Because despite this whole mess, I have Ellie. She’s all that matters.
“Whatever happens, we’ve got your back, Connors,” Sam says.
“Yeah. We’re not gonna let some trash sports news site destroy you or this team,” Xander says.
I look at my teammates. “You guys are the fucking best.”
“Hey, what’s going on?”
I turn around and see Ellie’s bright and cheery expression. I grab her hand. “We have to talk.”
Chapter 53
Ellie
Isit in our hotel room, processing everything that Camden’s just told me.
I glance down at his phone and skim the article I’ve already read twice.
My head is spinning, and I feel sick to my stomach as I struggle to make sense of this. That tell-tale ache lands at the front of my skull, right behind my eyes.
I grab my purse and dig around with shaky hands for my medicine. A second later, I feel Camden’s big, warm hands over mine.
“Let me, okay?” he says softly.
I nod, swallowing back tears.
He pours out the correct dose, then hands me a bottle of water.
“Thank you,” I say in a quiet voice, then down the pills and the water.
The mattress dips when he sits next to me on the bed, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out something tucked in a white napkin.
He unwraps it, revealing a fruit tart.
I breathe in the sweet, sugary smell and smile up at him. “You got me dessert?”
“Of course I got you dessert.” He kisses my temple
I take a bite, humming at the taste of the rich almond crust and the sweet fruit. I sink into Camden, feeling a million times more settled, despite the messy situation currently unfolding.
